Catie Owen finds out more about the new guidance documents released by the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative On 11 December 2023 at ExCeL London, the Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) initiative published seven best practice guidance documents for the events industry. Launched in 2021 following COP26, one of the initiative’s goals is to provide resources that aid the international events industry in developing and implementing their net zero plans. The documents were developed by dedicated ‘workstream’ teams who focused on specific action areas, as identified by NZCE’s Roadmap – launched in 2022. The priority areas included venue energy; smart production and waste management; logistics; travel and accommodation; food and food waste; offsetting and measurement. During his presentation of the new documents, Alexander Alles, executive director of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), which is driving the NZCE initiative, explained that the workstream teams included international authorities of the highest level such as senior operations and sustainability experts from event organisers, venues, and service suppliers. “Each workstream has been organised independently,” Alles added. “We coordinated everything so that it’s in line with the overall strategy of NZCE, but left room for the workstreams to work independently. In some cases, we also opened the consultation to the public and stakeholders.” The seven new NZCE documents contain detailed guidance to help organisations progress on the decarbonisation journey. For example, the measurement methodology serves as a comprehensive guide for understanding and quantifying event-level emissions. It covers nine emission source categories, measurement tiers, event-level metrics, extrapolation, and baseline setting. The Smart Production and Waste Management workstream has launched a Materials Library with a comprehensive list of materials used in events and their specific emissions factors. Logistics not only provides advice on On-Site and Last Mile Logistics but also on Traffic Management and Smart Cities. All of the documents are fluid, meaning that their guidance will be updated over time as research and best practice is furthered. Alles additionally noted that the documents were designed to aid small organisations as well as large: “We’re trying to achieve a lot with these documents, but we’ve made sure to write them in easy and accessible language. If you’re a small organiser, paying your staff’s wages might be the main concern taking your full focus – trumping sustainability. Therefore, when tackling sustainability organisations need to access the guidance in the easiest format – find the easiest way to implement the guidance into their organisations.”
“Going forward, NZCE will focus on supporting and guiding NZCE supporters and pledgees with their implementation of the guidelines and emerging standards.”
Where we’ve come from
As phase three of the roadmap draws to a close, the launch at ExCeL also dived into the future of the NZCE initiative. Kai Hattendorf, managing director and CEO of UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, said that the release of the guidance documents signalled the completion of the NZCE initiative’s initial work. James Rees, president of JMIC, noted that Part Two of the initiative followed three phases of development and guidance and needed total buy-in and active engagement from the industry to achieve. To that end, participants will continue to be held accountable by reporting their net zero progress to NZCE. Rees explained: “Part of committing to the pledge is committing to regular reporting, every two years minimum, which is a fundamental part of this industry-wide initiative. This allows us to report our progress back to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). “Previously the industry didn’t have a measurement tool to pick a starting point and benchmark progress. We’ve seen the impact of NZCE at ExCeL so far, which is showing us how to achieve net zero by 2050.” 
Where we’re going
According to Hattendorf, from 2024 the focus will shift from development to implementation. “We achieved in record time what no one deemed possible initially – a united industry response to the climate challenge. Going forward, NZCE will focus on supporting and guiding NZCE supporters and pledgees with their implementation of the guidelines and emerging standards,” Hattendorf said. Going forward, the NZCE will focus on three ‘tentpoles’ for its structure and workflows – Measurement, Reporting, and Verification; Activation and Adaptation; Communication and Education. A series of projects will cover topics such as Reporting, Standards, Certifications, Reusable Stands, and other priorities in the events industries that drive greenhouse gas reductions. Hattendorf added: “Staying agile on the way to achieve clear targets is the key to acting fast and efficiently – that certainly is one lesson the pandemic taught us, and it is part of the DNA of the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative. And speed remains of the essence as we need to show that the global events industry is a part of the solution to the global climate crisis.” Brian Brittain, COO of RX, also presented at the launch and praised the value of the workstreams’ findings: “Establishing a consistent method to measure carbon emissions at events is crucial. Our focus on understanding our emissions remains unwavering— but now we must swiftly trial and amplify carbon reduction initiatives at our events. This guidance will help all of us do just that.” n The guidance documents can be found at netzerocarbonevents.org/resources/
More info
NZCE is open and free to the entire events industry, however voluntary financial contributions are crucial to developing the campaign and initiative – potential contributors can find out more at netzerocarbonevents.org/funding-opportunities
